


sanctuary (more or less)

by SnorkleShit



Series: I thought of angels (choking on their halos) [9]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Awkwardness to the max, Cardin Winchester is a Faunus, Faunus!Cardin, Multi, mentions of child mutilation/amputation of faunus parts, sleep overs yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-07 00:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4241877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnorkleShit/pseuds/SnorkleShit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cardin is forced to spend the night in the JNPR dorm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sanctuary (more or less)

**Author's Note:**

> SOUNDTRACK:
> 
> http://8tracks.com/snorkletuckington/letting-people-down-is-my-thing-baby
> 
> [I added some songs, and made a new cover!]

Cardin’s skin was fucking crawling as Jaune threw open the door. The JNPR dorm was bright, and simple. Nothing but beds, desks and some personal items. He didn’t know what he had been expecting. The quite one- Ren- was sitting on a bed with a book, and didn’t bother to look up at them. The pink bouncy one was on them in a second though, teetering on her tiptoes as she craned to inspect Cardin with wide eyes. 

“Oooohhh, what’s he doing here?” She exclaimed in wonderment. He just stood rigid in the doorway, and couldn’t even get his mouth to open in response.

“He’s staying here for tonight.” Jaune announced. 

“Where is Pyrrha?” Ren asked, still not looking up from his book, and not responding to Cardin’s presence. 

“Here!” A voice called from behind Cardin. He jerked, spinning around to see her behind him. She smiled.

“I was in the bathroom. So, you’re staying here tonight? How will that work out, we’ve only got four beds.” Pyrrha asked breezily as she slid past him into the room and approached what he assumed was her bed. His mouth finally started working.

“I can take the floor.” He said, swallowing thickly. God, saying this situation was awkward would be an understatement. 

“Nooonnseeense, you’re our guest! You can take my bed, i’ll take the floor.” Jaune waved his hand dismissively. Ren finally glanced up, expression unreadable.

“While I agree it’s polite, in this situation, I don’t think you should give up your bed to the boy who bullied you relentlessly for weeks. Respect has to be earned, don’t you think?” he said cooly.  
Jaune opened his mouth to reply, but Cardin cut him off. 

“He’s right. I’ll take the floor, or I’ll leave.” He snapped. Jaune threw his hands in the air.

“Fine, fine, fine. You guys win. Excuse me for trying to be chivalrous. It’s a pretty warm night out, everybody cough up some spare blankets.” Jaune clapped his hands together, and the other three pulled one of the blankets off their bed. Cardin opened his mouth to say that they didn’t need to, but Jaune shot him a look. He accepted the blankets and avoided making eye contact, jaw tight as he spread a makeshift bed out on the free floor space in between Nora’s bed and Jaune’s bed. 

Everyone started getting ready for bed, and Cardin sat awkwardly on his pile of blankets on the floor. Jaune looked at him, then looked at everyone getting in their pajamas, then looked back at Cardin’s sweat soaked, bloodstained clothes and awkwardly put back on armor. 

“You can put your armor in my foot chest, and you can borrow a pair of my pants, we’ve got the same waist I think, but they’re gonna be short around the ankles. As for a shirt...I don’t think any of our shirts will fit you….” Jaune scratched the back of his head. 

“He could go shirtless! Ooohh, we could ALL go shirtless, like a shirtless party!” Nora exclaimed in excitement. Cardin stiffened more, if that where possible, and Ren turned his head towards her.   
“Not only is that inappropriate in general, I doubt he wants us to see his amputation scars.” Ren told her. Cardin wanted to stab him in the eye. He also wanted to stab himself in the eye to escape this situation. Nora’s eyes widened. 

“Ohhhh, yeah…” Nora said, regretfully. Cardin busied himself with removing his armor and pulling on the pants Jaune gave him, and tried to ignore the tension. Jaune took his armor and put it in the chest, and tossed his pants into the hamper by the door. 

“Considering it’s our blankets he’s sleeping on, it wouldn’t be ideal for him to wear that dirty shirt to bed either.” Pyrrha pointed out. Cardin almost winced. He thought about giving the blankets back and sleeping on the floor, but he had a feeling that would be unacceptable. Nora’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to make another hair brained suggestion, but Cardin blurted out words to cut her off.

“It’s fine, I can go shirtless.” 

“Are you-” Jaune started to say, but Cardin cut him off too.

“Yes, i’m _sure_.” He snarled. His outburst caused silence to fall, and he felt both angry and guilty. Instead of acting on either of these emotions, he ripped his shirt off and balled it up, making a perfect shot into the hamper.

“Oh, ten points!” Nora exclaimed. Jaune huffed.

“Oh, please, that was five points at best.” He said. Cardin ignored them and turned to pull the blanket over him, and saw Ren’s pink eyes staring calmly at his back. He glared at him, and Ren’s eyes slowly shifted to make steady contact with his own.

“What the fuck are you staring at?” Cardin demanded, hoping to keep some of his dignity intact.

“Your scars, what else would I be interested in about your body?” Ren stated coldly.

Cardin clenched his jaw as shame coursed through him. “Could you not fucking do that?” He demanded.

“That’s not a very nice way to ask for something.” Ren’s voice almost seemed like it was _scolding_ him.

“I’m not very _nice_.” Cardin snapped. 

“I beg to differ.” Ren shrugged, and his eyes casually slipped back into the  
routine flick over his book pages. Cardin stared at him in confusion and offense for another moment before huffing and laying down, pulling the blankets over himself as if they could shield him from the world. 

“Light’s out everyone! Big day tomorrow!” Jaune said in an upbeat tone, and  
crossed the room to turn down the lights. He commanded such authority as he walked through the room, despite his kitty cat pajama pants. Luckily, the one he’d lent Cardin where just plain blue. The dark descended over the room and the only sound was people shuffling to get comfortable as Jaune crossed the room and carefully stepped over Cardin to crawl in bed. Then there was silence. The curtains were drawn, so that not even the shattered moonlight entered the room.

A few moments into the darkness, he heard a shuffle on the bed to his left, and heard a small voice above him.

“Hey, Cardin?” Nora asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet. It made him nervous. 

“Uh, yeah, Nora?” He responded hesitantly. He knew that none of the others were asleep, they were all listening. What did she want? Had he done something wrong, again?

“Do you ever miss your wings?” She asked.

He felt like she’d stabbed him right in the heart and he was slowly bleeding out. The tension in the room multiplied, once again. He was silent for a long moment, debating what to answer, debating whether to answer such a question at all. He knew the truth in his heart. He also knew what he wanted to be true.

“No. I’m glad they’re gone.” He responded, the words making his chest feel like it was full of bricks.   
Another shuffle of movement, and then the silence returned, and was not broken again. Cardin thanked every god there ever was that Dove hadn’t been here to casually call out _you’re lying._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks you for reading, comments are appreciated!


End file.
